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April 29, 2011

David and Victoria Beckham (wearing a floral Philip Treacy Fascinator) attend the wedding of William & Kate

A fascinator is a headpiece, a style of millinery. The word originally referred to a fine, lacy head covering akin to a shawl and made from wool or lace. The term had fallen almost into disuse by the 1970s.

In the early 21st century, the term has made a comeback, but the meaning has slightly changed; it is now used to describe a delicate, slightly-to-very frivolous head decoration worn almost exclusively by women. A fascinator may be worn instead of a hat to occasions where hats were traditionally worn—such as weddings—or as an evening accessory, when it may be called a cocktail hat. It is generally worn with fairly formal attire.

A substantial fascinator is a fascinator of some size or bulk. They have been mentioned in the press, due to Queen Elizabeth pronouncing new standards of dress required for entry to Royal Ascot.

Modern fascinators are commonly made with feathers, flowers or beads. They attach to the hair by a comb, headband or clip. They are particularly popular at premium horse-racing events, such as the Grand National and the Melbourne Cup. Brides may choose to wear them as an alternative to a bridal veil or hat, particularly if their gowns are non-traditional.

(above) The maid of honor, Catherine's sister Pippa (also in Alexander McQueen, like the bride) is flanked by bridesmaids Grace van Cutsem (daughter of Will's pal Hugh) and Eliza Lopes (Camilla's granddaughter), both 3, as they made their way into Westminster Abbey.

The groom, Prince William (in a red tunic of the Irish Guards) waves to excited onlookers as he arrives at Westminster Abbey with his best man and younger brother, Prince Harry.

April 27, 2011

Victoria's Secret cut up a pair of sweatpants right in front of a customer after she returned them to a Florida store.

The Tampa Tribune reports that shopper Marie Wolf brought back a pair of Pink sweatpants, the clerk refunded her and promptly took a pair of scissors to the item:

"I was shocked, because, mind you, these were $70 sweatpants, and there's nothing wrong with them," Wolf said. "The clerk just said, 'I know, but it's our policy.' "
Outraged, Wolf confronted a store manager, then called the parent company and found, indeed, Victoria's Secret does cut up some returned items so they can't be resold -- even if they're in fine condition.

Apparently, the clerk's only mistake, Wolf said, was to cut up the clothes in front of customers, and not in a back room out of sight.

We've heard of stores destroying unsold merchandise -- H&M and Walmart to name a fine few -- but we're unclear on why VS would shred a pair of pants. It's not like there's serious health issues involved, as there would be with bras or underwear.

Actually, funny we should mention that, since just last year Victoria's Secret was caught reselling returned, and stained undies (ewww). Perhaps the chain's new, drastic take-backs technique stemmed from that scandal. Regardless, remind us to break out the hazmat suits the next time we ever step foot in one of their stores.

Actress Emma Stone stars and puts on a Mississippi southern accent for her latest film, an inspiring civil rights tale called "The Help."

Starring as Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, Stone plays the enlightened college girl who comes back to her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi and sees old, dark traditions in a whole new light. As a new columnist for her local paper, she works to take up the cause of the horribly discriminated against black household maids, the women who helped raise her and deserve far better than that which her friends that stayed at home are subjecting them to.

Fearful of retribution, it takes an act of God and a lot of persistence to get her maid Aibileen (Viola Davis) and then Aibileen's friend Minny (Octavia Spencer) to cooperate. What comes out of it, though, is a truly groundbreaking movement. WATCH below:

April 18, 2011

Kanye West performed at Coachella on Sunday April 17 this year wearing womenswear from Celine's 2011 Spring line. And you know what? I can't even hate on this. Not even a little bit. Because I stroll around in the men's department looking for cool finds for myself on occasion. I have a pair of 34" waist menswear khaki pants that I purchased to wear and I LOVE them. They don't fit my waist, but I belt them around my hips for an easy, hipster/tomboy fit. Trust me, it works. And honestly ya'll. Are we really that shocked at Kanye wearing designer womenswear or anything else that's completely out of the ordinary? I mean come on. We are talking about Kanye.

Blame it on the global financial crisis, the rise of the mega-mall, the online shopping revolution or our sky-high dollar but the boutique retail sector is suffering. Clothing and footwear sales declined 4.8 per cent in the year to December and a stroll down any of Sydney's once-burgeoning shopping precincts will reveal a stream of sale signs and, worse, empty stores.

In the latest twist, retailers have resorted to charging try-on fees in store, which are refunded upon purchase, to stop consumers heading online to search for the same item at a lower price.

Besieged by the new world of e-commerce, it is no longer enough for traditional bricks-and-mortar stores to fill their racks and then wait for the customers to roll in.

I've been seeing lots of long maxi skirts whenever I'm in the shopping centers lately, and I have to say, for the most part, I like what I've been seeing! The look is so Springtime Bohemian Chic. I love it. I think they look the most stylish casual with a flat sandal, I'm not really feeling this look with a heel unless it's some type of wedge, preferably an espadrille, but hey, that's just me. I want to know what you guys think about maxi skirts. Do you like it? Hate it? Don't care? Would you wear it? I wanna know your style verdict.

According to the New York Times, the practice of perfume demonstrators squirting passersby in department stores started in the 1950's as something fun for shoppers and has evolved into the out of control state it's currently in, which is that demonstrators are sort of like live action pop up ads. Continue reading this article HERE.

I would love to see this exhibit at the Met before it closes. On May 2 the annual Met Ball kicks of the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute's new exhibit, Savage Beauty, a retrospective of Alexander McQueen's work. The hefty catalogue of the exhibit was recently distributed, and it features new glorious photos of some of the late designer's most glorious pieces. The book also includes Tim Blanks's interview with McQueen's successor, Sarah Burton — one of the most extensive that's been conducted to date.

Continue reading this article and see more beautiful images from the Alexander McQueen exhibit HERE.

Swoon! OMG, I heart these two together. Heidi has always been one of my favorites so the two of them together is ice cream and cake for me. A few things Heidi said about her husband below in the May 2011 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine:

"He's the most charming, loving, fun, gentlemanly, inspirational man I could have wished for," Klum, 37, says, "He always makes me feel I'm the only woman in the world."

Mariah Carey has posed for her fair share of portraits, but none has been as personal or emotional as these exclusive belly-baring snaps. Mere days away from welcoming her first and second child, Mariah proudly showed off her pregnant body to Life & Style.

April 5, 2011

This is Gwen Stefani on Monday April 4 in Los Angeles grabbing lunch. Grabbing lunch. I'm throwing all kinds of shade at her right now for looking like this when she "grabs lunch" She's making me feel bad for all the times I looked like the queen of the RAG-MUFFINS when I went out to "grab lunch" Who the hell looks like they just stepped off the runway/red carpet/VOGUE Magazine photo shoot when they go to grab lunch??? Oh yeah. That's right. Gwen Stefani does. She looks hot though ;)

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